Barendse brothers seek to capture moisture as well as warmth

FEBRUARY 2023

Since the summer of 2022, Barendse Freesia has had two new climate screens: Luxous 1547 D FR and Obscura. The new screens already paid off last winter, but grower Matthieu is especially looking forward to spring. "We're trying to retain moisture with this combination."

The previous Svensson screens had been in place for at least decades. Once again, Svensson was chosen. The Barendse brothers, Matthieu and Alexander, carefully considered their choice of these two screens. This aligns well with Barendse Freesia 's business philosophy : progressive and always seeking innovation. The greenhouse horticulture company comprises 2.6 hectares of freesia under glass in the Netherlands, as well as locations in Spain and Ethiopia.

Warmth in winter, moisture in spring

The climate screens in the greenhouse in's-Gravenzande were due for replacement. "We hesitated for a long time because we also use chalk. Therefore, we didn't want to block out too much light," explains Matthieu. After extensive research, the choice was made for a combination of two screens on a single wire bed: LUXOUS 1547 D FR and OBSCURA. "We also continue to apply a thin layer of chalk in the summer."

In winter, Matthieu's main goal is to keep heat inside. "At sunrise, we slide open the OBSCURA screen and simultaneously close the LUXOUS. This happens without any gaps, because the screens close one after the other. After an hour and a half, the energy screen also opens. In the afternoon, we do the same thing starting an hour and a half before sunset, but in reverse order. That works well: more energy savings and no cold snap. In the spring and summer, with the bright weather, we also hope to keep moisture inside by using the screens."

Two screens, one wired bed

The installation of the screens was quite complex and took over six months. Section by section, the screens were installed by Doek en Draad (Doek and Wire ). Gerdo Wennekers explains: “The old system was almost completely removed. Nearly everything was replaced. We installed the two screens on a single wire bed, one behind the other. The screens run seamlessly one after the other. The complex thing with freesia is the hoisting wires. All the cables have to be disconnected, which is quite labor-intensive. We were able to do our work with a special high cart. We had to manually move the pipes the cart rides on, section by section.” As an experienced installer, this wasn't Gerdo's first time installing screens this way. “It's always difficult with crops grown in the open field, because there's no monorail.”

After six months, the screen installation was successfully completed, to the great satisfaction of both Gerdo and Matthieu. Barendse Freesia is ready for spring… and the future!